After opening the floor to the public during two forums in February, members of the JPNC finally broke their silence Tuesday night over the divisive issue surrounding Whole Foods’ impending arrival into the neighborhood.
“We definitely recognize that the community’s totally divided and we’re probably going to find that our council is divided as well,†Andrea Howley, chairperson of the elected, volunteer board said to the 100-plus crowd, many of whom waved blue fliers with “I want an affordable and diverse Jamaica Plain†when they approved of a council member’s comment.
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11 responses to “Jamaica Plain Patch: JPNC votes that Whole Foods is “not a good fit for Hyde Square”
We support the Whole Foods coming to the neighborhood. Look around the Square and see the retail vacancies. We don’t need any more.
Edythe & Brian Harkins
It’s too bad the Council has decided to take such a strong stand against a company that, on balance, acts responsibly and provides high quality food to its customers. Is this the right battle to fight? What are we saying with this vote?
Our family shops at Whole Foods (we drive to Cambridge or Dedham). And we also shop for food at City Feed. We value and love so many of JP’s locally owned businesses. These establishments are a big part of what we love about living here. But I agree with the previous comment. The Hyde Square area has lost some great commercial establishments in the past couple years and storefront vacancies are on the rise. And Hi-Lo isn’t coming back. So what are we saying, exactly? That we don’t want a successful business to open up in our community and serve as one of the anchor businesses in Hyde Square? That we’re OK with businesses in our neighborhood closing down or leaving? Are we so convinced that Whole Foods won’t be a responsible member of our community that we will make it uncomfortable for them to open a store here?
The concerns stated by those opposing Whole Foods are valid and important and as a member of this community I’m glad this discussion is taking place. But I can’t help but think that our energies would be put to better use by working with Whole Foods rather than against them. Creating an unwelcoming environment for this new grocery store makes it less, not more, likely that they will be cooperative in partnering with the city and community leaders to improve life for all members of our community. The discussion to date has put a strong focus on the issues of diversity and affordable living in JP. That’s a good thing. The overwhelming majority of the people of JP share these values, so why weaken our collective power to act for positive change by dividing ourselves on this one particular issue. A Whole Foods in JP is only one piece of a complex and ever-changing puzzle. With such a divided Council, it seems our message to Whole Foods should be tempered and that we should focus on working with them while we also focus on filling the void left behind by the closing of Hi-Lo.
Well thought out, thanks Alf.
I too have been driving to Dedham. Now my money can stay in JP, and I will have the option to take public transit to the Whole Foods in town, and, if I choose to drive it will be for a much shorter duration.
Let’s put some more money in the pockets of JP workers. The shopping base for buying groceries at 415 Centre Street has just quadrupled, at least!
I live in Hyde Square and I support the coming of Whole Foods.
Thank you to the folks on jpnc who voted against the good fit vote. Whole Foods is an excellent fit for JP and the area in general. I have lived here for 12 years and there has never been a really decent, reasonably affordable and reliably consistant place to buy groceries in JP. I can hardly wait to be able to walk to Whole Foods in Hyde Square instead heading outside the neighborhood to pick up my groceries.
Bravo, JPNC!
A locally-owned store in the former Hi-Lo space would mean that so much more of its customers’ money really would stay in JP. I’m saddened that people think so little of the strengths of this community that they think that the only options are Whole Foods or an empty storefront. Maybe if people would spend less time criticizing organizers who care deeply about JP and more time collaborating to invest in the community (beyond buying a home), they’d see this false choice for what it is. Is Whole Foods or a chain the only possible “successful” business that can survive in that lot? Absolutely not.
No one is asking for Hi-Lo to come back and many of the critics of a WF coming in to JP have also condemned its owners’ irresponsible actions (including how it treated its employees prior to closing). To the pro-WF folks who keep talking about how Knapp Foods, Inc. was a bad neighbor and treated its employees unjustly, I agree. It seems that many of the organizers against WF do too.
Rents do increase as neighborhoods become more “desirable,” but there is such a thing called “commercial gentrification,” which can cause rents to increase dramatically in a short period of time and push out local businesses and incumbent residents who can’t compete or afford to stay. CEO of Whole Foods, John Mackey, has spoken about it in interviews.
The reason that there are vacant storefronts in Hyde Square is largely due to landlords who are charging absurdly high rents, not because a Latino or locally-owned business (or both) cannot survive there.
To date Whole Foods has not sent one representative to talk to the community. Not one. According to the elected officials themselves, WF never notified them that it was planning on opening here. That’s unusual, especially of a multinational corporation. That shows me exactly what kind of neighbor it will be. You don’t come into a neighborhood, say that you understand people’s concerns, say that you want to reflect the community, and not show up to listen to the community.
Diversity and affordability are important values in JP. If you agree, then your position on this issue shows a lot.
JP HAS BEEN MY HOME FOR 35+ YEARS, I HAVE BEEN A PART OF THE MANY POSITIVE CHANGES THAT MAKE JP A VERY WELCOMING, UNIQUE, CREATIVE COMMUNITY . . . . MAYBE YOU NEED TO HEAR MY STORY: WHEN I TRAVEL AROUND THE WORLD AND PEOPLE ASK ME ABOUT MY HOMETOWN, AND I ANSWER JP, TO MY SURPRISE MANY OF THEM HAVE HEARD ABOUT JP, ABOUT HOW PEOPLE OF ALL WALKS OF LIFE WORK TOGETHER . . . . MOREOVER, HOW JP IS ONE OF THE UP AND COMING GREEN COMMUNITIES IN THE USA.
SO WHAT ABOUT THE MANY COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS: CITYLIFE, URBAN EDGE, HSTF, SC, FARMERS MARKET, ETC. ETC., ALSO OUR “ELECTED” OFFICIALS GETTING SOME GREEN FEDERAL GRANTS TO CREATE THE FIRST URBAN GREEN HOUSE IN THE STATE AND IN THE USA, TO GROW FOOD ALL YEAR ROUND, JUST THINK ABOUT IT: TRAIN & EMPLOY THE YOUTH, AND EVERY PERSON INTERESTED IN ALTERNATIVE TECHNOLOGIES, ORGANIC FARMING, SOLAR ENERGY, RECYCLING . . . . BRING IN MIT, HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL, WENTWORTH INSTITUTE, NEW ALCHEMY INSTITUTE AS PARTNERS . . . .
LET’S THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX !
IT IS POSSIBLE ! JUST OPEN YOUR EYES AND SEE ALL THE WONDERFUL PROJECTS THAT DSNI RUNS IN DORCHESTER . . . .
THIS IS NOT ABOUT WHO IS RIGHT OR WRONG, WHO HAS MORE “POLITICAL POWER”, LATINO, BLACK OR WHITE, POOR OR RICH, GAY OR STRAIGHT . . . .
THIS IS A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE JP TO A HEALTHY FUTURE FOR ALL !
BUT PLEASE, LET’S NOT FIGHT AND DESTROY ALL WE HAVE INVESTED IN MAKING BEAUTIFUL OUR JP COMMUNITY . . . .
IF YOU REALLY WALK DOWN ANY STREET IN JP AND TALK WITH PEOPLE ABOUT HI-LO, WF. THE MAJORITY WANT TO SEE THAT LOCATION TO BE ANOTHER STEP IN MAKING OUR COMMUNITY A BETTER COMMUNITY.
Just in response to Maria’s quote “A locally-owned store in the former Hi-Lo space would mean that so much more of its customers’ money really would stay in JP.”
A locally owned store in that space would be wonderful. The only problem is, there isn’t one to take over that space. Whole Foods did not force the shut down of Hi-Lo (which was NOT locally owned, Knapp foods is a Newton based company), Whole Foods put in an offer, and it was excepted. The owners of Hi-Lo still own the building. We already have one store front on that block that no one can rent out, do we really want another.
My husband and I have owned a home in this neighborhood for 15 years. We love our community, neighbors, and the local businesses that are here. While I support places such as City Feed and Harvest, and will continue to shop there, I do believe that Whole Foods WILL benefit the Hyde Square Community. I can count on one hand the amount of visits I made to Hi-Lo during my 10+ years living here. I personally believe that I want (for myself and my family) healthy choices when it comes to what we eat and how we live. I am shocked that there are so many people in this community that would NOT want that for their own families. Those who argue against Whole Foods say that it is too expensive….Well guess what? So is Harvest and City Feed! But because they are locally owned no one complains about the prices? Or the fact that the selection is limited? My choices here are limited so I have to drive to other communities to shop. I welcome Whole Foods with wide open arms! Unfortunately, there are many, many others who feel the same way but choose to not get involved.
This petition of 1,000 signatures seems ridiculous. I have never been approached about my opinion nor have ANY of my neighbors to sign ANYTHING! I would love to see the signatures and ADDRESSES of those who signed it.
We already know that the rents are so high in that plaza that it is incredibly difficult for any local “mom & pop” store to succeed. So i really do not know what people in this community think could fill that space if Whole Foods backs out??
I am in favor of Whole Foods coming to town. If people really liked Hi-Lo so much then why did it close its doors? It was because people were not supporting the business that the business closed its doors!
A well managed Whole Foods that caters to the needs of everyone in the community will not only enhance the experience of living in JP but also enhance our property, our social safety, etc. It will make the area more lively more fun to be at and provide a space where our children can learn and enjoy in safety.
Why are people arguing against this? Are they scared that they can no longer afford milk? Because last I checked, when I went to a Whole Foods, the average items are pretty fairly priced compared to any other local grocer (e.g. Shaws or Stop ‘n Shop). If you wanna buy the fancy stuff that Whole Foods sells then it is expensive.
Why are people still crying about HI-LO, me as a latina I couldn’t stand the smell or the look of the supermarket.
First: it was not locally owned.
Second: who could buy produce there (so unsanitary) the place was filthy.
Third: some of the stuff where more expensive than stop and shop
ex: can of evaporate milk in hi-lo was $1.19-$1.39 stop and shop $0.99.
I believe some people are scare of JP changing but its inevitable JP has been changing for the past 13 years or so; lets concentrate in how we are going to make Hyde Square a better place to live and to visit. I believe whole foods will create more jobs with benefits in our neighborhood something that hi-lo did not had benefits, and will carry latino products if the community ask for it. Imagine we will have more people coming to the sq. therefore the small independent business will benefit from this traffic of people